Savannah City Council Biographical Sketches
Updated May 2010
Mayor Otis Samuel Johnson- Mayor Otis S. Johnson was elected in November 2003 and re-elected in November 2007 to become Savannah, Georgia’s 64th Mayor. Mayor Johnson is the second African-American to hold this position. Mayor Johnson is nationally known in the field of community building and youth development. He served as the 2009 Chair of the National League of Cities Council on Youth, Education, and Families and is a member of the boards of the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, the Coastal Regional Commission of Georgia, Georgia Municipal Association and MDC. Mayor Johnson was Executive Director of the Youth Futures Authority, an Annie E. Casey Foundation initiative, from 1988-1998. In 1999, he began a four year term on the Savannah Chatham Board of Education. Mayor Johnson retired as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at Savannah State University in 2002. He earned the Master of Social Work degree from Clark Atlanta University in 1969 and the Ph.D. degree in Social Welfare from the Heller School at Brandeis University in 1980.
Post 1 At-Large
Edna Jackson- Jackson is a Savannah native who worked for Savannah State University for 30 years before being elected to the City Council. She has been serving on the city council for 5 years and is the At-Large Alderman for Post 1. Jackson also serves as the mayor pro tem.
Post 2 At-Large
Jeff Felser- Felser graduated from Savannah High School in 1980 and from Mercer Law School in 1987. He is the founder and owner of Felser Law Firm, P.C. Felser serves as the At-Large Alderman for Post 2.
District 1
Van R. Johnson, II- Johnson is a native of Brooklyn, NY, who holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees from Savannah State College and Georgia Southern University respectively. Johnson is a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and is a Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) certified peace officer and law enforcement instructor. Johnson serves as the Employee Services and Training Manager for Chatham County Government and has been serving on the City Council since January 2004. He is the Director of the Chatham County Youth Commission and is the Council liaison for the Savannah Youth Council. He has served as the Vice Chairman of Council since 2004.
District 2
Mary Osborne is a native Savannahian who graduated from St. Pius X High School. She moved to New York to study nursing and practiced there for sixteen years. On return to Savannah, she earned her Bachelors Degree in Nursing from Armstrong State College. She was employed by St. Joseph/Candler Hospital for twenty-six years. Osborne served as a community activist for over twenty years establishing three neighborhood associations and serving on several housing boards with a goal to create affordable housing and homeownership. A graduate of Leadership Savannah, Class of 1982-1984 and elected to serve as 2nd District Alderwoman in 2004 and is presently serving her second term.
District 3
Larry Stuber - A 1961 graduate of H.V.Jenkins High School, Stuber lives in the District 3 neighborhood of Fairway Oaks. He graduated from LSU/Ga Tech with a BS and MS in Civil/Environmental Engineering. He is a 1968 Vietnam Veteran, Captain US Army, 1969/74Georgia EPD engineer, and retired Founder/CEO of EMC Engineering Services, Inc. During his 30 years at EMC he specialized in assisting local, state and federal governments design and build many public infrastructure projects. He currently serves on the staff of PSMJ Resources, Inc. as a leadership/management consultant to the international community of architects and engineers.
District 4
Mary Ellen Sprague- Mary Ellen Sprague is a 27 year resident of Savannah. She graduated with a Bachelor’s of Business Administration from Emory University and a Master’s in Health Care Administration from Florida International University. Mary Ellen is a public accountant for the firm Canady, Richbourg & Woodward, LLP. Mary Ellen served two terms on the Savannah-Chatham Board of Education from 1992 to 2000. She was also Chairman of the Live Oak Libraries Board of Directors, and was involved in the completion of the annex to the Bull Street library. Other civic work includes serving on the Board of United Way, the Junior League of Savannah, Mary Maclean Foundation, Kidsnet, the Christ Church/Historic Savannah Tour of Homes and the Chatham County Grand Jury. Mary Ellen has been married to Larry Sprague for 27 years. They have 3 children, a dog and a cat.
District 5
Clifton Jones, Jr. - Jones is a lifetime resident of Savannah. He graduated from Beach High School in 1950 and attended Savannah State College. Alderman Jones is a retired postal service employee. He was elected to City Council in 1995. He is currently serving his 4th term as District 5 Alderman.
District 6
Tony Thomas- Thomas was first elected to the Council in 1999. He is currently in his 3rd term and serves as the Council Chairman since 2005. Thomas is a native of Savannah who graduated from Windsor Forest High School in 1984. He attended Armstrong Atlantic State University and Savannah State University before launching a successful advertising firm based in Savannah. He also holds a Georgia real estate brokers license. Actively involved, Thomas serves on the United Way Board, Southside YMCA Board, and as the council liaison for the Savannah Development and Renewal Authority. He also serves as Vice Chairman of the Leadership Training Institute for the National League of Cities; the Community and Economic Development Steering Committee for NLC; and the Georgia Municipal Associations' Municipal Training Board as well as, 12th District 3rd Vice President for GMA. |  |
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